Nikkei pares early losses as nervous investors digest China data

TOKYO Oct 19 (Reuters) - Japanese shares fell on Monday but
pared early losses after data showed China's economy did not
cool as much as expected in the third quarter.

The Nikkei share average ended the morning session
down 0.6 percent at 18,190.36 points.

Sectors with significant exposure in China fell steadily
early in the morning as investors nervously awaited a slew of
key economic data from China.

"There was a bit of concern because Premier Li recently made
comments about the difficulty of achieving 7 percent GDP growth,
which dampened sentiment ahead of the figures coming out, so
people are quite pleased to see it beat estimates at 6.9
percent," said Gavin Parry, managing director at Parry
International Trading, in Hong Kong.

"These numbers are good for Japan, particularly for
construction and possibly for related sectors with exposure in
China."

China's economic growth eased to 6.9 percent in the third
quarter from a year earlier, beating expectations for 6.8
percent but still the slowest since the global financial crisis,
putting pressure on Beijing to roll out more support measures.